500 houses burnt in forest eviction
A fire guts a hut on January 16 belonging to an Embobut Forest dweller. Kenya Forest Service burnt the houses.
What you need to know:
- An additional 500 houses were yesterday burnt down in Embobut Forest as the eviction of thousands of squatters from the ecosystem continued.
- Some of the evictees said they had nowhere to go while others said although they received Sh400,000 from the government, they needed more time to enable them to look for suitable alternative land to buy.
An additional 500 houses were on Thursday burnt down in Embobut Forest as the eviction of thousands of squatters from the ecosystem continued.
This brings to 800 the total number of houses torched in Sinen and Kewabus glades in the last three days, a move that has seen scores of families spend nights in the cold.
Dozens of Kenya Forest Service guards are spearheading the eviction that will continue until all the illegal settlers are completely out of the water tower.
Some of the affected families sought shelter at their relatives’ homes.
Those who did not receive cash from the government are at risk of becoming destitute.
Some of the evictees said they had nowhere to go while others said although they received Sh400,000 from the government, they needed more time to enable them to look for suitable alternative land to buy.
MOST HAVE NO MONEY
The majority said they did not receive the money and will remain in the forest until they are paid.
The forest agency asked all the squatters remaining in the forest to remove their livestock out of the public land.
“There are a lot of livestock in the forest. Before we give further directions on livestock, we want all donkeys and goats out,” said the agency’s zonal manager Alfred Nyaswabu.
Elgeyo Marakwet county commissioner Arthur Osiya, who is overseeing the eviction, yesterday said the government was taking over full control of the forest.
The administrator said all the 600 out of the 2,874 genuine beneficiaries who had not accessed their money due to technical problems at the bank had been taken care of.
The money has been credited to their respective bank accounts, he added.
“Since the payment problems have been addressed, it is now official that we don’t want anybody in the ecosystem,” said Mr Osiya.
Responding to claims by evictees that not all of them received their rightful share of the government’s Sh1.149 billion, the county commissioner said: “There is a criteria that was used and not every settler was to receive the money.”
